


Stowaway

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [6]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Cute, Gen, Rabbits, animal perspective, idk how to tag this but it's fucking adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26573143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Cassia decides to accompany Eadgyd on her next adventure...but without Eadgyd's knowledge.  Told from Cassia's POV and set about a week after "Cassia's Comfort."
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Kudos: 1
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Stowaway

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is written from Cassia's point of view, I tried my best to balance the different way that Cassia sees the world with a style of writing that wouldn't be too confusing.
> 
> A quick note before I begin: while Sage is a doe (female rabbit), they're referred to with they/them pronouns because Frida didn't know Sage's sex when she got them and when she figured it out, she was like "Sage is a rabbit and doesn't know about gender" so everyone just uses they/them pronouns for Sage.
> 
> Also, Cassia references Grandmother, which (amusingly) is Frida. Since Sage barely knew their rabbit mother, they think of Frida as their mother. It follows that Cassia, being Sage's child, would think of Frida as her grandmother. (Technically that makes Eadgyd Cassia's great-aunt, but that's just way too confusing, so Cassia refers to Eadgyd as her mistress or by name.)
> 
> In case anyone gets worried: no, Cassia is not coming along with Eadgyd on campaign. This is during a Fellowship Phase and Eadgyd is off to help work on the Old Forest Road, so Cassia will not be in any danger because of this. (And even if she was, she's half Rhosgobel and can hold her own.)

Anyone could tell that Cassia’s mistress was not well.

Her sorrow had subsided somewhat and she’d had an easier time leaving her bed for simple tasks, but she was preparing to set forth again and planned to leave Cassia behind. She’d gathered her belongings and bid Cassia farewell, trying to reassure the rabbit that she was well enough to set forth alone.

Cassia knew that she wasn’t. She was not about to let Eadgyd set forth when she still carried so much pain. Although she could not delay her mistress’s journey, she could come along to insure that Eadgyd had someone to help her.

Her mother had told her of Eadgyd long before Cassia had met her. Although they had been but a kit at the time, Sage still remembered this gentle giantess taking their injured body from the cold forest floor and bringing them to Grandmother. Cassia had marveled at the stories as a kit and had been eager when Grandmother had taken her to live with Eadgyd. She’d made a home with the gentle giantess from her mother’s stories and had grown to love Eadgyd as one of her own kin.

That was why she would not let Eadgyd set forth when she still radiated so much sorrow.

Her chance to leave happened as Eadgyd set down her pack to look for something. Cassia hopped into the pack and nudged around its contents until she found a space where she could poke her head out when needed. It was not a comfortable position, but hopefully her mistress would find her sooner rather than later.

She ducked away from the opening as Eadgyd put something else into the pack and felt a great shifting, presumably from Eadgyd lifting the pack. Cassia shifted a bit more and settled in for the journey, hoping that her mistress would need something from the pack sooner rather than later.

She couldn’t tell how much time had passed from inside the pack, but it was long enough to make Cassia uncomfortable. She longed to stretch her legs and get a drink of water, but she could do neither in the pack. Mercifully, just as she was about to look for an escape, the steady movement stopped and Cassia felt a jostling. She poked her head out of the backpack and came eye to eye with Eadgyd.

“Cassia?” she said.

She opened the backpack and Cassia hopped out, gently nudging her mistress’s arm. Eadgyd looked down at Cassia, her brow furrowed in confusion. She began to speak: not cruelly, but with curiosity, since she hadn’t known that Cassia had come along. Cassia gazed up at her, eyes wide with worry, as she listened to her mistress’s voice, hoping that she wouldn’t try to leave Cassia at home. To dissuade her from any such idea, Cassia began to lick Eadgyd’s hand, hoping that she would not try to undertake her journey alone.

Eadgyd smiled down at her and stroked her head a few times, clearly glad that Cassia was here. She reached into her bag for a small dish and poured some water into it for Cassia. She drank deeply, for it had been warm inside Eadgyd’s pack and she hadn’t had anything to drink for quite some time. As Eadgyd drank, Cassia began to eat the grass where they’d stopped. It wasn’t proper food, but it was sweet and satisfying, especially after the water.

The click of Eadgyd’s tongue caught Cassia’s attention and she danced with joy when she saw that her mistress had brought one of the treats that she made for Cassia. She ate the treat from Eadgyd’s hand and stayed close to her afterwards, settling down beside her leg as Eadgyd ate.

After they had both had food and drink enough to sustain them, Eadgyd withdrew the piece of colored fur that she sometimes wore when gathering vegetables from the garden, wrapping it about her body.

“Hop or carry?” she asked.

Cassia could keep pace with her mistress for a good while, but she suspected that Eadgyd needed some additional comfort. She danced around her mistress a few times to stretch her legs before she nudged at the gap in the fur, which Eadgyd held open for her as she hopped in. She nestled up against Eadgyd’s body and closed her eyes as her mistress began to walk again, allowing the rhythm of Eadgyd’s footsteps to soothe her.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I can't believe that I only just started writing bunny content because it's so much fun.
> 
> Also, I don't know if it was clear, but the "colored fur" that Eadgyd wears at the end is a sling. Cassia thinks of it as fur because that's how she (and presumably other rabbits) understand clothing.
> 
> Quick bunny body language reminder: dancing is an expression of pure joy and licking is a way that rabbits show affection.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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